The present invention relates generally to computer systems and methods, and more particularly, to a system and method that provides for the use of available firmware flash ROM space as a diagnostic drive.
The assignee of the present invention develops firmware known as a basic input and output system, or BIOS that is employed in variously available computer systems. The BIOS is a firmware program that is typically stored in a nonvolatile random access memory (or flash memory). The BIOS brings up the computer system when it is turned on.
On IA-64 computer systems, manufactured by Intel, for example, 16 MB of address space has been reserved for flash ROM storage of the firmware (BIOS). The firmware developed by the assignee of the present invention may be adapted to fit within about 4 MB of disk space, leaving about 12 MB free (if the OEM populates the chips).
There are numerous patents disclosing how to implement read only memory technology as a disk drive. However, there are no patents that disclose or suggest the use of the extra firmware flash ROM as a disk drive containing diagnostics.
It is an objective of the present invention to use this available flash ROM storage space in a manner not heretofore done in the computer industry. It is an objective of the present invention to provide for a system and method that provides for the use of available firmware flash ROM space as a diagnostic drive.